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Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC) public meetings

This page has information about PACDAC, the PACDAC public meetings and an outline of some of the points Peace Movement Aotearoa will be raising with Committee members. The details of the Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington meetings are included below, and the Dunedin meeting details will be added to this page as soon as they are confirmed.

The Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC) was established by the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act 1987. Its main functions are: to advise government Ministers on disarmament and arms control issues, and on implementation of the Act; to publish public reports about disarmament and arms control matters and on the implementation of the Act; and to make recommendations for granting money to projects that promote greater public understanding of disarmament and arms control. Information about PACDAC is available here.

Peace Movement Aotearoa member and supporting organisations who are unable to attend the meetings have asked us to represent their views, and we are happy to also do that for others who cannot get to the meetings.

The key points we will be raising with PACDAC are in two main areas:

i) Issues around the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act 1987: in particular, the disestablishment of the position of Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control in 2011; military alliances, combat deployments and exercises with the armed forces of nuclear weapons states; visits by military aircraft and by warships of nuclear weapons states, in particular China, France, and India, and the possible visit of warships from the US and other nuclear weapons states later this year for the navy's 75th anniversary; and government contracts with companies involved with producing and deploying nuclear weapons.

ii) Specific disarmament and arms control issues: related to the seven national humanitarian disarmament and related campaigns Peace Movement Aotearoa coordinates:

We will also be providing an update on Peace Movement Aotearoa's disarmament work with United Nations' human rights treaty monitoring bodies, and our youth disarmament engagement strategy (there will be an opportunity for all organisations with an interest in peace and disarmament to become involved in this new project later in the year).

If there are any other issues you would like us to raise with PACDAC, please email Peace Movement Aotearoa and let us know as soon as possible, thank you.

Public meeting details

  • Wellington: Monday, 18 July 2016, from 12 noon to 1.30pm, Conference Room 3, St Andrew's Centre, 30 The Terrace - the flyer for this meeting is available here.
  • Christchurch: Monday, 23 May 2016, from 4pm to 6pm, Room A8, South Arts Lecture Theatre Block, University of Canterbury (please note: there is limited car parking available on campus although there is a small pay and display car parking area in front of the Business & Law Building, with payment required until 5pm) - the flyer for this meeting is available here.
  • Auckland: Wednesday, 18 May 2016, from 6pm to 8pm, Stone Lecture Theatre, level 3, Building 801, Faculty of Law, University of Auckland, 9 Eden Crescent - the flyer for this meeting is available here.

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